Track-supported walker



Sept. 7, 1965 T. D. SCANNELL TRACK-SUPPORTED WALKER Filed Nov. 5, 1962.

United States Patent 3,204,954 TRACK-SUPPORTED WALKER Thomas D. Scannell, 1909 Stillwater, St. Louis, Mo. Filed Nov. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 235,368 Claims. (Cl. 272-70.4)

The invention relates to apparatus for use by persons afllicted with a condition which makes it difiicult or impossible for them to walk or support their bodies normally, examples of which are found in cases of cerebral palsy, paraplegics, quadriplegics, fractures, strokes, or other crippling conditions.

The invention comprises an overhead support with depending body-receiving structure arranged for ready entry by the user and accommodating use of his legs for walking and of his arms for shifting the body in the structure and other exercising movements; the structure being movable about an overhead support preferablypivotally thereon and along a track.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of an overhead track mounted upon standards with the body supporting structure depending from a carriage having rollers movable along the track.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal detail section on line 2--2 of FIG. 1 and, in effect, is a top view of the body-supporting structure.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged scale horizontal section on line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a detail vertical transverse section on line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 corresponds generally to FIG. 2 but illustrates another form of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail elevation of an upright standard with the structure shown in FIG. 5, and other parts, mounted thereon.

FIG. 7 is a detail horizontal section corresponding generally to FIG. 3 but illustrates another form of the invention.

The assembly shown in FIG. 1 comprises a framework including standards 11 and an elongated track 12 mounted on the same, there being braces 13 for rigidifying the framework. Track 12 is of inverted U or slotted boxlike section with flanges 14 which mounta trolley 16 including wheels or rollers 17. Spaced vertical members 18 are connected at their upper ends by cross bar 19 which has a swivel support 20 from trolley 16. Slidably mounted on the lower portions of uprights 18 are sleeves 22 mounting one or more bars 24 forming individual circles disposed horizontally. Pins 26 (FIG. 3) are inserted through apertures in sleeves 22 and uprights 18 to selectively position the sleeves and bars 24 at a desired height. Preferably bars 24 are metal tubes substantially abutting at their ends and connected by a coupling 28 welded at W to a sleeve 22. A hose-like member 29 may be slipped over each bar 24 before it is assembled with the other bar and with the sleeve and provides a yielding surface for the user to contact. A seat element 30 covered with leather, plastic or fabric is detachably secured to opposite parts of the circle formed by bars 24 and depends therefrom, leaving plenty of room for the users legs to extend through the structure to the ground.

A similar bar, hose and sleeve assembly 32 is positioned by sleeves 34 (FIG. 1) at a higher level and a larger diameter assembly 36 is carried by studs 38 radiating from uprights 18 and at approximately the same height as assembly 32.

The construction just described is adapted to receive and support the body of a person who may approach normal walking action for the length of the track and return or he may turn at any point, twisting or raising ice his body by use of the waist, arm and shoulder muscles. While the pelvis is usually supported directly by seat 30, as much weight as the legs can carry may be placed on them. If desired, substantially all the weight may be assumed by the arms, overlying upper bars 36, or the torso may rest in whole or in part upon assembly 32.

Additional support may be afforded by one or more straps 39 adjustable in length and secured to sleeves 40 slidable, or fixed, on uprights 18 above the level of sleeves 34. A strap 39 may be placed about the body or grasped by the users hands.

The user is free to shift his weight between different sets of muscles without the services of an attendant. Cramping and boredom are reduced or eliminated and the users mental condition may improve with his physical exercise.

Another form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in which the rigid structure is only semicircular and this will be sufiicient for many users who can lean on bars 41, 42, 43 with or without seat 45 and without a rigid support for the back. Adjustable straps 47 maybe used to hold the users body to the bars. Straps 48 on separate sleeves 49 correspond to straps 39 and sleeves 40 previously described. In this form of the invention a single elongated tubular sleeve 44 on each hanger 50 carries all the bodysupport bars, thus simplifying the structure so that the body support is moved as a unit when adjusted for height. A similar elongated sleeve may be substituted for the individual sleeves 22, 34 shown in FIGS. 1, 3. Also individual sleeves as shown in FIG. 1 may be substituted for each elongated sleeve 44.

FIG. 7 shows an arrangement in which the support bars 51, 52 are generally similar to those shown in FIG. 3 but are assembled difierently. The ends of the semicircular bars 51, 52 form clevis jaws 54, 55, respectively, adjacent each upright 57, the end of bar 52 being welded to the sleeve 58 slidable on the hanger. The clevis jaws are hinged or latched to each other by a pin 59. One pin is readily removed to swing bar 51 about its other end, or the pins at both ends may be removed. This will facilitate entrance of the user to the structure laterally without lifting (as is required for the first form described).

The overhead track may be mounted on a porch or room ceiling or otherwise supported instead of on standards 11 and difierent combinations of the supporting structure parts described, and other variations in the construction, may be made Without departure from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a walker device for crippled persons, an overhead track, a Wheeled trolley movable freely along said track, transversely spaced rigid hangers depending from said trolley, a plurality of vertically-spaced horizontally-curved stiff members extending between and rigidly connected to the lower portions of said hangers, said hangers, members and connections forming a substantially rigid structure constructed and adapted to firmly engage and support a human body in upright position, each curved member being a rigid bar and having individual connections to the hangers consisting of elongated upright tubular sleeves slidably mounted on said depending hangers and selectively and adjustably secured thereto.

2. A walker device according to claim 1 in which the horizontally curved stiff members are approximately semicircular lengthwise and provide a laterally unobstructed opening at one side of the structure to partially receive a human body, there being elements detachably secured to said structure abreast of the ends of said members and forming therewith a body-surrounding enclosure.

3. A walker device according to claim 2 in which the Patented Sept. 7, 1965 detachably secured elements are arcuate horizontal bars curved oppositely t0 the semicircular members and forming a substantially complete circle therewith, each arcuate bar being pivoted at one end to an end of one of said members, and means for latching the other ends of the curved bars together.

4. In a walker device for a crippled person, an overhead track, a trolley movable along the track, substantially rigid hangers depending from the trolley and spaced apart horizontally, a tubular mounting slidable vertically along each depending hanger, means for manually readily securing said mountings at selected heights on the hangers, curved horizontal bars fixed to said mountings and forming a stiff semicircular cage for engaging the front of the abdomen and chest of the body of a user, a flexible seat supported from the lower portions of said hangers below said cage and having a substantially open bottom for the users legs, independently slidable sleeves on the depending hangers above said mountings, support elements secured to said sleeves, and manually operable means for 20 readily securing the mountings and sleeves to said hangers independently of each other at selected heights above said structure.

5. In a walker device for crippled persons, an overhead track, a Wheeled trolley movable freely along said track, 25

transversely spaced rigid hangers depending from said trolley, a plurality of vertically-spaced horizontally-curved stiff members extending between and rigidly connected to the lower portions of said hangers, said hangers, members and connections forming a substantially rigid structure constructed and adapted to firmly engage and support a human body in upright position, there being a flexible seat for the body of the user suspended from one of said stiff members and having substantial openings accommodating the downward projection of the legs of the user, the seat and curved stiff members being relatively adjustable vertically on the hangers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

4. IN A WALKER DEVICE FOR A CRIPPLED PERSON, AN OVERHEAD TRACK, A TROLLEY MOVABLE ALONG THE TRACK, SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID HANGERS DEPENDING FROM THE TROLLEY AND SPACED APART HORIZONTALLY, A TUBULAR MOUNTING SLIDABLE VERTICALLY ALONG EACH DEPENDING HANGER, MEANS FOR MANUALLY READILY SECURING SAID MOUNTINGS AT SELECTED HEIGHTS ON THE HANGERS, CURVED HORIZONTAL BARS FIXED TO SAID MOUNTINGS AND FORMING A STIFF SEMICIRCULAR CAGE FOR ENGAGING THE FRONT OF THE ABDOMEN AND CHEST OF THE BODY OF A USER, A FLEXIBLE SEAT SUPPORTED FROM THE LOWER PORTIONS OF SAID HANGERS BELOW SAID CAGE AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY OPEN BOTTOM FOR THE USER''S LEGS, INDEPENDENTLY SLIDABLE SLEEVES ON THE DEPENDING HANGERS AVOE SAID MOUNTINGS, SUPPORT ELEMENTS SECURED TO SAID SLEEVES, AND MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS FOR READILY SECURING THE MOUNTINGS AND SLEEVES TO SAID HANGERS INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER AT SELECTED HEIGHTS ABOVE SAID STRUCTURE. 